Officials search in-house for next chief

Published: Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, January 7, 2013 at 11:01 p.m.

NORTHPORT | City officials are moving forward in their search for Northport’s next police chief by looking within the department’s own ranks.

Facts

Search continues

Northport will post the job for police chief internally and officially begin an internal search on Friday.The move is a shift from the council’s decision to hire a professional firm to conduct a search throughout the Southeast for the next police chief.

The city will post the job internally and officially begin an internal search on Friday, said City Administrator Scott Collins. The move began Monday during a council’s pre-meeting, when Mayor Bobby Herndon asked the council to keep the search within the ranks of the Northport Police Department.

“I’ve been contacted by several people who said they would like to see the chief hired from within the department — from within the ranks,” Herndon said, pointing to what he described as improved morale within the department since former Northport Police Chief Robert Green left in July.

The move is a shift from the council’s November decision to hire a professional firm to do a search throughout the Southeast for the next police chief. On Nov. 27, the council said it would consider hiring Colorado-based CWH Research to lead the search for a chief.

CWH, which has worked with the Tuscaloosa and University of Alabama police departments, is the firm that Northport hired last year to do a 90-day audit of the city’s police department. The audit found that Green used coercion, threats and punishment as “power tools of intimidation” to run the department. CWH’s top recommendations were that Green be fired and that the city conduct an extensive, nationwide search for his replacement.

Green was put on administrative leave before the department study was conducted in March. He officially retired on July 1, just before CWH’s recommendations were made public.

To hire CWH for the search would cost about $41,000, and the search would take 90 to 120 days, Collins said.

“We have not entered into contract with CWH yet,” Collins said.

It’s still something the council can decide to do, once it has done an internal search for the position, Collins suggested.

Council President Jay Logan said he had no problem starting the search internally and agreed with Herndon’s request to look at candidates from within the department.

The decision did not require a council vote, Collins said.

If fewer than three internal candidates apply for the position, then the candidates will bypass the city’s civil service committee and go straight to interviews with the City Council. If there are more than three internal applicants, then civil service committee will select their top three choices to forward on to the council.

“This is just, we want to do this first, and if we think we’ve got a qualified applicant, I say go with it,” Herndon said. “If not, then we’ll open it up to a regional search.”

Interim chief Kerry Card is making Green’s former salary of $83,000 annually. But the city could pay in the $90,000 range for the right candidate, Collins said.

Card has expressed an interest in the position, Collins said, adding that Card has said he wants to be a part of the department’s future no matter who is chosen.

The person who is picked for the position needs to have a clear understanding of the need to do an overhaul, including improve employee morale and communication, improve officer training and create an environment in which officers can move up within the department ranks during their career, Collins said.

<p>NORTHPORT | City officials are moving forward in their search for Northport's next police chief by looking within the department's own ranks. </p><p>The city will post the job internally and officially begin an internal search on Friday, said City Administrator Scott Collins. The move began Monday during a council's pre-meeting, when Mayor Bobby Herndon asked the council to keep the search within the ranks of the Northport Police Department. </p><p>“I've been contacted by several people who said they would like to see the chief hired from within the department — from within the ranks,” Herndon said, pointing to what he described as improved morale within the department since former Northport Police Chief Robert Green left in July. </p><p>The move is a shift from the council's November decision to hire a professional firm to do a search throughout the Southeast for the next police chief. On Nov. 27, the council said it would consider hiring Colorado-based CWH Research to lead the search for a chief.</p><p>CWH, which has worked with the Tuscaloosa and University of Alabama police departments, is the firm that Northport hired last year to do a 90-day audit of the city's police department. The audit found that Green used coercion, threats and punishment as “power tools of intimidation” to run the department. CWH's top recommendations were that Green be fired and that the city conduct an extensive, nationwide search for his replacement. </p><p>Green was put on administrative leave before the department study was conducted in March. He officially retired on July 1, just before CWH's recommendations were made public. </p><p>To hire CWH for the search would cost about $41,000, and the search would take 90 to 120 days, Collins said. </p><p>“We have not entered into contract with CWH yet,” Collins said.</p><p>It's still something the council can decide to do, once it has done an internal search for the position, Collins suggested. </p><p>Council President Jay Logan said he had no problem starting the search internally and agreed with Herndon's request to look at candidates from within the department. </p><p>The decision did not require a council vote, Collins said. </p><p>If fewer than three internal candidates apply for the position, then the candidates will bypass the city's civil service committee and go straight to interviews with the City Council. If there are more than three internal applicants, then civil service committee will select their top three choices to forward on to the council. </p><p>“This is just, we want to do this first, and if we think we've got a qualified applicant, I say go with it,” Herndon said. “If not, then we'll open it up to a regional search.”</p><p>Interim chief Kerry Card is making Green's former salary of $83,000 annually. But the city could pay in the $90,000 range for the right candidate, Collins said. </p><p>Card has expressed an interest in the position, Collins said, adding that Card has said he wants to be a part of the department's future no matter who is chosen. </p><p>The person who is picked for the position needs to have a clear understanding of the need to do an overhaul, including improve employee morale and communication, improve officer training and create an environment in which officers can move up within the department ranks during their career, Collins said. </p><p>Reach Lydia Seabol Avant at 205-722-0222 or lydia.seabolavant@tuscaloosanews.com.</p>